Morse transmitting-key.



.l. J. GHEGAN.

MORSE TRANSMITTING KEY. APPLICATION FILED 050.15. 1915.

1,202,179. Patented Oct. 24,1916.

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J'OHN J'. GHEGAN, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY.

MORSE TRANSMITTING-KEY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 24, 1916.

Application filed. December 15, 1915. Serial No. 66,894.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, JOHN J. GHEGAN, a citizen of the United States, residing in East Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have made certain new and useful Improvements in Morse Transmitting-Keys, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to Morse transmitting keys for use with wireless telegraph apparatus, in which use a strong current is made and broken to form the Morse code; sparking results and the contacts or abutting surfaces become fretted and worn, so that they do not retain their normal parallel relation. 1

The object of my improvement is to provide adjustable removable contacts for both the anvil or lower contact and the complementary or upper contact, so that, no matter how much worn,the full contact surface can be maintained between the two contacts, and the lever always retains its normal, horizontal position. I mount the upper contact on an adjustable screw, with set nut; and the lower or anvil contact is adjustable as regards the plane of its contact surface and renewable. By loosening the anvil and pressing down on the key lever the two contacts, having extended area, are given perfect surface alinement; the anvil is then fixed firmly in position until wear makes a new adjustment or renewal desirable. This obviates fading or variationin strength of signals due to varying resistance at the contacts, and the contacts may be practically entirely worn out before renewal 1s necessarv.

lhe key lever is a straight-line, springretracted lever, and its free end controls the movement of a right-angled lever pivoted at the angle; the lever is spring-retracted to close a break point, and to avoid chattering the spring is connected to, a point in the Vertical arm of the lever and to a fixed point below, in a parallel plane, closely adjacent to the-plane in which the vertical arm normally rests. The free end ofthe key lever engages the short armof the angle-lever and this frees the key-lever of the weight of an auxiliary contact. This auxiliary contact is connected in circuitto shunt the receiving apparatus when the key is depressed to transmit code signals, thus constituting a break-in key.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved fkey; Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a wireless telegraph transmitting and receiving circuit with the key including break-in connections. Fig. 3 1s atop plan'view and Fig. 4 is an elevation, partly in section, with screw posts removed to more clearly show essential parts.

The key lever 75 is fixed on an arbor b in bearings in posts '7). The circuit breaking contacts, that is, the anvil 12 and complementary contact 11, are of large superficial area on their meeting surfaces: these surfaces are liable to deterioration from sparkng and fretting or continual hammering innormal operation, this is due to use with a dynamo gand coil 40, in circuit with i which the key is used. The contact 11 is supported on a screw 30 passing through lever is, equipped with set screw 31, as shown.

The anvil contact 12 is adjustable and removable, for renewal; it is screw-threaded at 18; a globular-headed screw 15 is connected with anvil contact 12 and is fixedin a socket 16, in a block 13, fixed to the base 00. A ring 14, screw-threaded on its inte- I rior at 19, engages the exterior screw-thread the abutting surfaces of contacts 11 and 12 are out of parallel contact 12 may be loosened in its support, key lever '76 is then depressed, forcing the surface of angle 12 into a parallel plane and the two'contact surfaces are brought into complete engagement or contact at all points. When this adjustment is made, the ring 1 1 is tightened up by the pin g which is carried in 'a perforation in post 39 until needed for "use.

The key lever 70 has the usual arrangement of backstop m. The key 70 operates an auxiliary contact lever 11 composed of two arms 20, 21,]fixed at a ring angle, and pivoted at 22 to post 23, located on base m. Lever n carries contact point 28 in line with a complementary contact 29 adjustably supported in a postr. A spring 25 has one end fixed to arm 20 at 24 at a point near contact 28; the other end of spring 25 is connected to spindle 27 in post 7" in a plane parallel to arm 20 and below point 24. This arrangement I have discovered to be advantageous in preventing chattering at contacts 28, 29, and greatly superior to any'other known arrangement. There is a block of insulating material a, like hard rubber, fixed to the terminal of lever k and engaging arm 21 of angular lever n. It results fr In this arrangement that when lever 70 is retracted. by spring 8 and its circuit open at 11, P12, lever a is retracted against the effort of spring 25" and its circuit open at 28, 29. e

The screw posts and61 are used for the circuit terminals of contacts '28 and 29. Screw posts 62 and .63 are used for the circuit terminals leading to contacts 11 and '12. The Hat spring-metal connection 6i connects posts 62 with the key-lever 74.

In Fig. 2 there is an alternating current generator 9, the key 72 and theprimary coil 40 of an inductorium, the secondary coil l1, shunted by. condenser c, a spark gap e and adjustable'primary coil d in the closed transmitt'ng circuit; the secondary coil 1 is in the aerial circuit. There is also shown a receiving circuit containing primary coils 51 shunted by adjustable condenser 50 connected to the aerial circuit upon opposite sides of a break it in the aerial. In the closed receiving circuit there is an adjustable inductioncoil secondary 52, also used as an inductance; coil 52 is adjusted by moving pivoted arm 53 on to the seriesof coil-section contacts 54; in this receiving circuit there is a condenser f, a crystal detector j in shunt connection to telephone 6, all as is well known in the art. 7

"When key 70 is depressed it closes circuit of generator 9 at points 11, 12, and releases lever n so that its spring 25 draws contacts 28 and 29 together, shunting the break h via conductors 70 and 71, and also shunting coil 51 of the receiving circuit, relieving the receiving circuitlmore or less from the effect of the transmitted impulses. It is well known that the individual elements of this receiving circuit, or any ofthem, may also,

if deemed desirable, be open-circuited and shunted by electromagnetic circuit breakers or switches, as shown in patents issued to Shoemaker, to Butcher and others. 7

[ l Vhen contacts 11 and l'2'become impaired or injured in use and it "becomes necessary topolish or replace anvil contact 12,. said anvil contact 12 is loosened and polished, and while loose and movable "in its support the .perforationbeing greater at one .sur-

face than at the other;

2. The combination, in a Morsetransmit'- ting key, of a movable Contact and a complementary contact, the latter screwthreaded,a round-headed screw therefor, a

fixed socket for said screw-head, and means to clamp said screw at any angle, consisting of a ring adapted to engage both the screwhead and socket. A

'3'. The combination, in a Morse-transmit:

ting key, of two contacts, one of which has a globular terminal, a fixed base-piece having an aperture conforming to said terminal and a screw-threaded ring adapted to engage said globular terminal and said base.- piec'e and clamp sa d terminal in position.

4;. The combination, in a Morse-transmitting key, of two contacts, one of which has one member of a universal joint, a fixed base-piece having the second member of said universal joint, and a screw-threaded ring adapted to engage both said members and clamp them in set position.

5. The combination of a Morse-transmitting key having a pivoted, auxiliary lever mechanically engaging therewith, said lever having two arms united and pivoted at a right-angled junction point, a contact point on one of said arms, a fixed contact point therefor, anda spring attached to said lever at or near said contact point and to a fixed point supported on the key-base, both said contact points and said spring being located in thesame plane.

6. The combination of a 'Morse-transmitting key having a pivoted auxiliary lever mechanically engagng'therewith, said lever having two arms united and pivoted at a right-angled junction, a contact point on one of said arms, a fixed contact point therefor,and a spring attached'to said lever at or near said contact point and t o.a fixed point supported on the key-base.

JOHN J. GHEGAN.

Copies of thisgpatentiinay be obtained as five ama. by addressing thc"Commissioner ofratents.

i Washingtonj'D. G. i 

